Captain of my Heart
by M.R. Potter
Summary: We all know that Harry is smitten with Cho Chang...but little do we know that Oliver Wood likes someone as well.ü
1. A Quidditch Match

A/N: hi everyone...meg here. um, this is my first Harry Potter fic, i have decided to write it on Oliver Wood...interesting chap, that one is. have fun!

CHAPTER ONE 

"Alright everybody, I just did a little research, and if we win this game, we are going to beat Ravenclaw for the twentieth time in a row." Oliver Wood proudly announced to his team. The Weasley twins did a little jig, while the girls exchanged high-fives. Only Harry seemed a little down in the mouth about it. "Oh come on Harry. This is history we're making. Can't you be a little happy?" Oliver asked. Harry nodded weakly, but it wasn't because he was upset. It was because in a matter of minutes, he would be facing Cho Chang, and for now, he had butterflies doing a spin cycle in his stomach.

" We go on in a few minutes, might as well get on." Oliver briskly said, his own heart thumping. It wasn't because he was afraid that his team would lose, but because he had his own matter of the heart to deal with. For one of the replacement Chasers, Mae Hargrove was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on, with her dark brown hair and smiling eyes. From the first time he had seen her walking to class last month had he fell flip forward in love with her. " Oliver mate, let's get going! We don't want to fly out missing a Keeper. The girls will be a little disappointed." Fred smartly said.

As they all assembled in front of the gate, Oliver's heart did a little flip-flop. He had a recurring image of Mae in his mind, flying out on her broom, with her hair flying out from her ponytail as it always did. Oftentimes, he wished he could tuck those loose hairs behind her ear himself.

A loud bell sounded out, and the gate went up. The Gryffindor team flew out and did a little formation flying before coming to a stop in the middle of the field, facing the Ravenclaw team. Madam Hooch said, "Clean and fair game everyone." Then upon blowing her whistle, she tossed the Quaffle up into the air.

"And there goes Angelina after the Quaffle. She's got the fastest instincts I've ever seen on a Quidditch player….look at her go!" Lee Jordan bellowed into the microphone.

Angelina swooped down the field, picking up speed and dodging other players as she went. Oliver zoomed to his spot down at the goalposts, narrowly missing a Bludger as he went. Angelina passed the Quaffle down to Katie, who caught it and pitched in at the goalposts. It flew through the hole, barely skimming the palm of the Keeper.

"Yes! The Quaffle is in! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Lee shouted. The Gryffindor side of the field screamed with delight.

"Uh-oh, what's this? It looks like Ravenclaw has intercepted the Quaffle! The substitute Chaser Mae Hargrove's gotten the Quaffle right through the air! She's making for the goalposts…nothing seems to be in her way!" Lee squealed through the megaphone.

"Somebody stop her!" Oliver shouted at the players. Fred and George scrambled to bat the Bludgers her way. But odd enough, he was hoping she wouldn't get hit. In fact, the whole world seemed to have slowed down in front of his eyes. He watched Mae fly towards him, with her eyes fixed onto his face. He was entranced, with the way her hair flew out of her ponytail as the wind whipped her face. Her arm pitched back as she got ready to toss the Quaffle through the goalpost.

"Mae Hargrove seems to have dodged the Bludgers and is about to chuck the Quaffle through. But she has one more obstacle: Keeper Oliver Wood, who has an impeccable record these days at Quidditch. But today, he's looking a little disoriented, if I say so myself. Wake up Wood!" Lee apprehended. Oliver snapped back to his senses, just as she let go of the Quaffle. It was a clean pitch, but he managed to block the goalpost in time, batting it out onto the field again with the tail of his broom. Mae looked a little flushed, and Oliver gave her a diabolical wink out of sheer instinct.

Meanwhile, Harry was looming above the field, feeling queasy. He still hadn't seen the Snitch, but he knew it was somewhere close. He could feel it.

"Harry! Head's up!" a voice called to him. He looked to his left, and a Bludger came barreling towards him. He drew back, with George flying after it. "Watch yourself mate!" he called. Giving a slight nod, he focused his glance back onto the action.

"Katie goes off, Bludger in hand! There is no stopping her these days, like last week when she slammed her book near my-hey!" Lee grunted when Professor McGonagall yanked the megaphone off his hands.

The Gryffindors roared with laughter at Lee's bluff, but now, Oliver's skin was clammy with sweat. The Gryffindor Chasers were definitely doing their job now, scoring goal after goal. Lee nearly yelled himself hoarse after taking his megaphone back from McGonagall and promising not to swear again. Mae was nearly livid, as Oliver could see from his vantage point.

Harry was no less tense. He had already seen the Golden Snitch, but a Bludger had forced him to move away. He was lucky though, since Cho hadn't seen it. But now, he had caught a glimmer of gold near the bleachers. Like a rocket, he was off. At the corner of his eye, Cho was closely tailing him. The Snitch was about ten feet away from his outstretched arm.

"The scores are tied now, and it looks like Mae's got the Quaffle! Nothing seems to be in her way right now…block it Wood, or I'm losing this bet I made…only joking Professor." Lee sheepishly said.

Oliver's nerves were in knots. Mae was coming closer now, and he could almost see a maniacal glimmer in her stunning brown eyes. Where on Earth was Harry, and why hadn't he gotten the Snitch?

Harry pressed his Nimbus farther on. Only two feet to go…Cho was nearly on his heels…

"RAVENCLAW SCORES!! WOOD, HOW COULD YOU NOT HAVE SEEN THAT FLYING PAST YOUR HEAD?! I JUST LOST TEN SICKLES, YOU IDIOT!" Lee screamed into the megaphone, prompting Professor McGonagall to wrestle it from him. Harry's mind fell apart except for one thing: _To get to the Snitch before Cho did._

Cho was actually right beside him, her arm level with his. It took everything not to fall off his broom just looking at her, but with a burst of energy, he lunged forward and his fingers closed over the Snitch.

"Potter's got it! Potter's got the Snitch! Gryffindor wins! Five Galleons to mee!" Lee crowed over the megaphone. The Gryffindors were wild with happiness, raising a noise so loud, the bleachers nearly rocked with their weight and jumping around.

Oliver's heart was pumping. His team had just made Quidditch history, and he had gotten to his closest encounter with Mae today. "Team captains, shake hands." Madam Hooch called from down below. He flew down to the center of the field and shook hands with the team captain of the Ravenclaw team. He was feeling awfully lightheaded, what with Mae looking on.

Harry was delirious with happiness. Although he hadn't really meant to be so happy, he just couldn't help it. He spotted Cho descending to walk back to the shower rooms when he followed her. "Cho!" he called. Her head turned to face him. "Oh hi Harry. Congratulations…and it was a good game." She sighed. Harry blushed. He hated it when he was in a position above her and she was feeling bad about it. "Erm, thanks Cho. It was a good game, and you really, uh, played well. I'm sure the Ravenclaws will, uh, be very, erm, happy with you. Um, bye!" he blurted out before flying, his cheeks blazing red.

Oliver was flying down to meet his team when he saw Mae flying near him. "Good game Wood; that's going to be something that Hogwarts will remember for a bit." She called to him. "Thanks Hargrove. For a replacement, you've got a lot going for it." He cheekily called back. He saw Mae suddenly look away, and he knew that he had embarrassed her. He mentally slapped himself. Why did I tease her now, when she just lost the game? He reprimanded himself. When he was about to open his mouth to apologize to her, when Fred hooked an arm around his neck and dragged him off to the locker rooms. "We're having a party in the common room tonight Wood after dinner, so don't stuff yourself too much. You'd better start preparing your speech too." He said. "What speech?" he asked, puzzled. "Well, you are the team captain of this team Wood. It's only proper that you thanks your faithful, loving fans for their support." George winked at him. "I am not the hero of this game. Ask Harry to do it." He grunted, feeling the lack of circulation in his brain from Fred's stranglehold. "Sorry mate; wish we could, but he's not team captain. Just acknowledge him in the victory of the game, while you, Wood, make the speech." Fred said, letting him go.

The twins linked arms and began a lively jig down the hall to the shower rooms, whistling a tune. Oliver sighed. The only speech he wanted to make was one of apology to Mae. Taking his towel, he wrapped his robe around him and proceeded to go take a shower.


	2. The Party

COMH 2

Chapter Two 

The Gryffindor common room was bustling with life. Apparently, since the match, they hadn't been able to compose themselves for the rest of the afternoon. Now, as the Weasley twins tossed candies into the crowd, Oliver watched them party on. He was sitting on a comfortable chair near the fire, nursing a butterbeer. Katie and Angelina were off to the side, giggling as Lee Jordan told them something funny. The younger years were no less energetic about the party than the Weasley twins. "Speech!" one of the students said. The rest took their cue and began shouting as well. "Speech! Speech!"

Oliver tried to shrink away, but Fred and George materialized out of nowhere. "Hope you've got a chance to think about what you've got to say mate." George mischievously whispered into his ear as they vaulted him off his feet. Fred jumped on top of a table whistled through his fingers at the crowd. "Attention everyone! Attention please!"  George then took over. "As we all know, the reason we're having it large right now is because we have beaten Ravenclaw twenty times in a row. This feat would not have been possible, without our superb team," he said, in a mocking solemn voice. The common room burst into cheers and applause. "And who could tell us about the team and how they managed to pull this win off without cracking, better than the top banana of the team himself, Oliver Wood? Ladies and gentlemen… and the not so gentlemen, I give you, Oliver Wood!" Fred said, sweeping Oliver into the spotlight.

Hundreds of eyes looked at Oliver, who was now blushing like mad on top of the table. "Um, first of all, I am not solely responsible for the win of this team. It was a joint effort, really. Uh, I had a really great set of players to begin with, and it was really easy to get the strategies with them. Our Chasers are really, uh, fast at going after the Quaffle. The Beaters can sense the Bludgers coming, even if they are a mile away. ("Hear, hear!" one of the Weasley twins shouted from the crowd, bringing on a bout of giggles.) "And our Seeker is the best one Hogwarts has ever had. We wouldn't have won any games actually, if it hadn't been for your support for us and for the game. Thanks." He said. "Oh come on Oliver, we all know that you're an excellent Keeper. Why, it's because of you that we hadn't become the laughingstock of the school. A round of love and applause please for Oliver Wood!" Angelina interjected.

The party went on into the night, and it was only when Percy came barreling from his dormitory and threatened each one of them with promises of detention that the party ended. _Finally._ Wood thought. When the last bottle of butterbeer had been consumed, the fire in the grate went out, leaving Oliver Wood in darkness. His mind had recurring images of the Quidditch match, and of Mae. Her face had torn at his heart when he had thrown that wisecrack at her. _And now she may refuse to talk to you forever. Nice going Wood._ He mentally chided himself. What he wouldn't give to be able to talk to Mae and straighten out himself out with her.

"Oliver?" a voice called out from the darkness. "Yes?" he asked. "Um, it's me Katie. Can I talk to you a sec?" she nervously asked from the doorway of her dormitory. He came closer, and he saw that she was looking really tense. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Well, it as something my friend told me. She said that you said something to her during the match, and she told me that you're an insensitive ass. But I didn't want to tell you, because I think you're completely opposite, see. I kinda noticed that you were staring at her during the match today, and I was wondering if you said that because you liked her, or if you just wanted to tease her…" she bubbled. Oliver's cheeks flared. Katie had probably seen him, and he knew her well enough to know that she would patch things up between people if given the chance. "Well, you see Katie, it's nothing like that. I just wanted to tease…" "I think you like her. Angelina and Lee think so too." Katie blurted out.

Wood's whole body was suddenly on fire. This was too embarrassing for words. "Why do you say that?" he asked, as calmly as he knew how. "Well, we kinda noticed that you were always looking at her." Katie grinned. Oliver knew that he was done for. He couldn't squirm his way out of this one. "Just don't tell anyone Katie. It's really important that nobody knows." He pleaded with her. "On one condition. That you let me straighten you out with Mae, because I know how seriously nuts you are with girls." She grinned. "OK, OK, just don't grass me up." "Deal. Now go get some sleep." She said, yawning.

Oliver quickly scurried away to his dormitory, where it was full of snoring students. He quickly took a shower, changed into his pajamas, and lay down on his bed where the moon was shining on his face. Lee Jordan gave a loud snort on the next bed, followed by an "Ooof!" when the person on the next bed flopped him on the face with a pillow. Oliver smiled. Maybe he'd get through this one alright. Just maybe.


	3. Game, Set, Match

CHAPTER THREE 

Oliver woke up early the next morning to someone shoving him awake. "Oliver, wake up. It's breakfast time." Somebody called to him. "In a minute." He groaned from under the pillow. "Wish I could give you a minute, but somebody wants to see you downstairs. She seems a tad miffed that she has to wait outside. Since when did you decide to chummy up with Quidditch members of the other Houses hmmm?" Fred Weasley asked him. "Who's waiting?" Oliver asked from beneath the sheet. "Some girl named Mae. Look, Katie told me to go wake you up, since girls can't get into our dormitory." Fred indifferently said.

Oliver vaulted out of bed. "I'll be right out, just let me change out of my pajamas." He said, running to the chest of drawers where his clothes were kept. "Get to it mate. And brush your teeth too, it's repulsive when you meet someone with morning breath." George said.

Fast as lightning, Oliver was out with fresh breath and neatly combed hair. He ran out the portrait hole and saw Mae sitting on the ground near the painting of the Fat Lady. "Mae, um, good morning." Oliver said, in a voice that sounded a little too cheery. "Morning Wood. It's about time you woke up." Mae said in a brisk manner. "You wanted to ask me something?" he asked, his heart beginning to rumba against his chest. "Well, not really. I just wanted you to know that I was really insulted by what you said yesterday after the match. Just because you're team captain doesn't mean that you can look down at other players. Or aspiring ones, for that matter." She tartly said, arms crossed on her chest. "Uhm…" Oliver began. "And furthermore, you should keep your eyes on the game, and not on the players. You embarrassed me when you winked at me. Now all my friends think there's something going on between us." She cut in. He held up his hands. "Mae, listen. Quidditch gets to my head a lot, and I usually end up doing things I don't normally do when I'm thinking straight. I apologize for winking at you, and for humiliating you like that. You are a good Chaser, better than a lot of replacements I've seen. It's a wonder you're a replacement and not a player. " He said. She eyed him carefully. "If you mean it…" she began. "Trust me, I do. And if we could, maybe we could start over. Properly this time." He suggested.

Mae looked at him. "OK. I'm Mae Hargrove. Nice to meet you." She said, holding out her hand for him to shake. "Oliver Wood. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He replied, shaking her hand. "You were going to have breakfast?" she asked. "Yes, I was. I'm on my way to the Great Hall right now. Would you like to accompany me there?" he asked.

They walked together, ignoring whispering people and when they had to part ways, Oliver said to Mae, "Nice meeting you. I'll see you around." She smiled at him, and Oliver sat between George Weasley and Lee Jordan. "Mates, did you see who Oliver brought with him today? Awfully lovely wasn't she?" Lee snidely said. Oliver turned a bright pink. "Well, nothing happened." He replied, putting some bacon on his plate. "If nothing happened, how come you walked her here?" George asked. "And if I'm not mistaken, wasn't she the one who wanted to talk to you, and that's why I had to wake you up?" Fred smiled in a not-so-innocent manner. Oliver's face turned from pink to red. "Let's just say we settled something, and got off on the right foot with the other alright? Nothing's happening between us, and none of that bosh is true." He said. "Alright mate, no need to get so defensive. Jeez, and I thought the nuts were all in Azkaban." Lee said, holding up his knife and fork in surrender.

After breakfast, Oliver went back to the Gryffindor dormitory to grab his book bag when he caught sight of Mae with her friends. She was bright pink with her friends all seeming to be laughing at her. "Look, there he is!" one of them squealed, pointing at Oliver. They all herded towards him. "Oliver, what happened yesterday? I mean, we caught it all on those Omnioculars." One of them squeaked. Oliver looked helplessly at Mae. "Nothing. It was just a mistake." He choked out. "A mistake? But we saw it all, over and over again, and in slow motion. You can't deny it!" another said. "I am unusually prone to mistakes when I'm playing Quidditch, and of course, who wouldn't be, when you have to beat a certain House for the twentieth time in a row?" he said, before giving them a slow smile and walking away. "Oooh, he's a charmer. Don't let him get away Mae." He heard one of her friends tease.

"Game, set, match." Oliver smiled to himself as he walked towards his dormitory.


	4. Potions class with a vengeance

CHAPTER FOUR 

Oliver's potion class was in twenty minutes, and he was walking with Lee towards Snape's musty dungeon. "We're in for Potions with the Ravenclaws. Their lesson was missed a few days ago because of the Quidditch match. They're making up for it today." He said. Oliver simply nodded; his mind was still fixed on the earlier incident of breakfast.

They entered the classroom with most of the students already in their seats. It was nearly full, with two Houses sharing the same class. Hardly any seats were available, but Lee spotted one near Snape's desk. "Come on, there's a seat for two." He hissed into Oliver's ear before dragging him over. He followed Lee, and when they got there, Lee shoved him in before taking a seat himself. "Oi, you should tell your friend to ask first." A familiar voice said, in an apprehending manner. Oliver looked up to his side and saw Mae! "Oh, sorry about that Mae. He just got a little frantic. We'd hate to take this lesson standing up." He sheepishly said, elbowing Lee without much remorse. "I'd rather not take this lesson, but I don't want to fail either." She sighed, flicking through her book.

"Settle down everybody. I don't want to be giving out detentions before class even starts." Snape's silky voice said. Instantly, the class began to settle. "Now, as most of you have noticed, we are unusually full today. That is because a Quidditch game was held the day we were supposed to discuss Healing potions, and most of you found it acceptable to forego learning in exchange for a fleeting victory. I was highly affronted by the decision, but I have decided against my better judgment to let you take this class with the Gryffindors. Be warned though; I will not allow this to happen again. Understood?" he asked in a voice that kept the class listening. Without waiting for an answer, Snape waved his wand and letters appeared on the board. "Read the pages that are written on the board, and I will be calling each of you in turn to answer questions on the topic you would have read. I will give you twenty minutes, starting now. Anybody I catch doing otherwise will earn a week's detention." He said, reclining in his chair to the sound of students taking out books and opening them.

Mae made a face before flipping open to the said page. The noise soon dwindled down to a mere flipping of pages and Snape tapping his wand on his desk. Oliver was reading on the ingredients of the Scar-healing potion when he heard something fall down. He took a look under his desk and saw that Lee had dropped the lid of his inkpot. "Psst, Lee. Your ink pot lid." He discreetly said. Lee looked down and made an 'OK' sign along with an eyebrow message that said, "_I'll pick it up after class."_ Oliver nodded and returned to his book. He cast a sidelong look at Mae, who was frowning at the book. Oliver inwardly chuckled to himself. He would do the same, but he had to pass this subject if he wanted to get a good job after school.

Twenty minutes later, Snape cleared his throat. "I suppose the lot of you have absorbed what the author of your book has written about the subject of the different Healing potions. As promised, I will now call random people to answer questions about the topic, starting with you, Ms. Bell." He said, turning about to face Katie.

She quivered as she stood up, facing Snape. "Tell me, the year the Scar-healing potion was discovered and by who." He asked in a malicious voice. "In f-fifteen eighty-four by S-sir Hardavast the B-brave sir." Katie answered. "Take a seat. Now, Mr. Fitch" he said, facing a sandy-haired guy from Ravenclaw. "Name the prime ingredient in said potion and how it is attained." He asked. "Uh, powdered spotted toadstools found in glades that have Knarls living in them." He replied, with much difficulty. "Tsk, tsk Mr. Fitch. You have just told me the prime ingredients for an Anti-vomiting Potion. When applied to a scar, this will make the scar turn into an unbearable blister. Sit down, and I will have five points from Ravenclaw for that. Can you tell me the correct answer, Ms. Hargrove?"

Mae stood up, her hands bunching the sides of her robes. "Lemon grass mixed with the diluted essence of Porlock saliva." She squeaked out. "Obviously made up. Have you read the text, Ms. Hargrove?" Snape softly said. Oliver saw Mae's lips turn very white and her knuckles as well. "Y-yes sir. I did." She said, her voice quivering. "Then if you have read the text, why can't you answer a simple question like that? As far as I know, you have encountered all the ingredients in a Scar-healing potion in previous classes. None of them are foreign to you. Why is that?" he asked nastily. Mae was really getting scared. "Answer me Ms. Hargrove." He said. Oliver was outraged at Snape for talking to Mae like that. "Leave her alone!" he loudly said standing up.

The whole class gasped at Oliver. Mae turned to him, her eyes wide. "What did you say to me, Mr. Wood?" Snape asked. "I said, leave her alone. She can't answer the question because she doesn't want to." He answered. Mae nearly looked like she was about to faint. "I believe she is one of your opponents in Quidditch, Mr. Wood? And you are team captain of the Gryffindor team?" he asked malevolently. "I am." He answered. "That does not give you the right to believe that you are in a position higher than authority. Your outburst Mr. Wood, has just earned you and Ms. Hargrove a week's detention. Take your seats, both of you. For your information, the prime ingredients for a Scar-healing potion are essence of moonstone and the leaves of a common mimosa. Write me a three-foot long essay on these ingredients and how their properties can help in the healing of a scar." He snapped at the class. The bell rang, and the class packed up their things, groaning at the extra homework Snape had given them. They shot nasty looks at Oliver, who was blushing in his seat.

"Thanks a lot Oliver. Just because I don't fancy this class doesn't mean I don't do my bit to get a decent grade. Now don't bother apologizing, I'll see you in detention." She snapped at him, slinging her bag over her shoulder and stalking out of the classroom.

_"Brilliant Wood. Just BRILLIANT!' _ Oliver thought to himself before walking out of the classroom.

A/N: No romantic parts yet, but I promise something a little bit romantic in the next chapter when the two of them are off in detention. I hope you're enjoying the story so far, as I am enjoying writing this immensely. Until next chapter!


	5. DetentionDay 1

CHAPTER FIVE 

A/N: OK, you guys may have noticed that Oliver Wood is getting to be a little out of character these last few chapters. But in order to achieve the full-intended impact of this story, I had to twist some of what was already given to get the result I needed. I hope you'll bear with me. Thanks, and I present to you, chapter five. Oh, and I suggest a little parental guidance with this chapter (like anyone still remembers what parental guidance means) since it will get somewhat violent. Thanks, and enjoy!

The next day, Oliver was sitting at his usual place at the breakfast table when a whoosh of owls came in with the mail. A large screech owl landed in front of him, a piece of parchment in its mouth. He could make out the words _Addressed to: Oliver Wood, Gryffindor House_. "What you got there mate?" Lee asked. "No idea." Oliver replied, taking the letter out of the owl's beak. He studied it a bit before opening it. He had looked at it for just a minute when he let out a groan. "I don't believe this!" he groaned. "What's wrong?" Lee asked. Oliver tossed the letter to Lee, who read it:

_Dear Mr. Wood,_

_For your misbehavior during Potions class, you have been sentenced to clean the telescopes in the Astronomy classroom and to polish the models there, along with Miss Hargrove, at eight o'clock in the evening for the rest of the week. _

_Thank you,_

_Professor Minerva McGonagall_

"That's a nasty job mate. You'll be up all night having a go at those telescopes." Lee sympathized. Oliver shot a quick glance at the Ravenclaw table and saw that Mae had just gotten her detention note. Her face was frowning at the letter, and he quickly turned his gaze to his plate of breakfast before she got it into her mind to frown at him. "Well, I can't say you didn't deserve it mate. But then again, you did get her attention. Well, sort of anyway." Lee grinned at him. Oliver blushed profusely, and tried to return to his breakfast, without thinking of what lay ahead for the evening.

The whole day, Oliver tried not to think about his detention, trying also to finish all his schoolwork and not leave anything to be done for the evening. But somewhere, deep in him, he was secretly glad that they would be together in the same detention, because at least he got to spend some time with Mae, even if he knew he would probably get the cold shoulder for the whole duration of the detention.

That evening after dinner, Oliver walked up with heavy feet to the Astronomy tower where he saw Professor McGonagall looking down at him. "Mr. Wood, I hope this will serve as a reminder to keep your thoughts to yourself. There is a bucket of polish and a few rags, and you are only allowed to leave once all the telescopes and the models have been polished." Professor McGonagall said to him. He nodded slightly, seeing Mae come up the stairs. She greeted Professor McGonagall good evening before snatching up a rag. "The sooner we get this finished, the better." She growled at Oliver.

The telescopes had several lenses that had to be taken out and polished individually, and there were several telescopes in the classroom. Mae and Oliver split the work, not talking to each other for about an hour. Oliver desperately wanted to melt the tension between them, but one look at Mae's face told him not to mess with her. But he needed to do this, if only to ease the pressure on his mind. "These things are a pain." He said to nobody in particular. "Not as much as you are. And I don't see why you're complaining in the first place, since you're the one who got us here!" she snapped at him. "Look Mae, I thought you'd be at least grateful that I didn't give you a hard time about it." He shot back. "Why would I be grateful? You got me into this mess, and now you think I'm _HAPPY_ about it?" she asked.

"Well, at least I didn't give you any more trouble now that I already had. You're too tense, did anyone ever tell you that?" he blasted back at her. "Just mind your own business!" she snapped. Oliver let out a growl and tossed the rag at her. "For once, I'd want you to stop giving me orders. You're not the one who runs my life!" "Well, I'd like to see you try," she said, standing up and crossing her arms. "You're crazy to crack that one by me. But since you wanted it, fine." He said, standing up as well and stalking towards her until he was directly in front of her, looming over her.  "So, what are you going to do? Stand there until I die of boredom?" she said, raising a sarcastic eyebrow. "Why don't you just lay off?" he said, shoving her shoulders, making her step over backwards. "You're so pathetic, picking on a girl." She said, shoving him back. "Likewise, you are the most tense person I have ever met, not to mention the bossiest one too. So just get that through your head." He answered, pushing her shoulder. She gave a low growl and leapt at him, sending them wrestling on the floor. Mae pulled at his shirt collar and tried to punch at his face while he tried to get a hand around her throat. Right now, he was too angry to remember that he had a crush on her. For someone as mild-mannered as he was, he had quickly gotten mad at her. Her arm swung backwards to punch his face, and it did. Her closed fist connected with his eye and he let out a grunt.

He saw her arm swing backwards again to go for another punch when he grabbed her arm, and in a quick move, he turned over and pinned her arm behind her back, while she was on the floor struggling beneath him. "Cor, I give! I give, just let me up!" she panted, going limp on the floor. He let go, but she quickly turned on her back and tried to punch the side of his face, but he caught her arm. "Nice try. And I'll have the other hand too, just to make sure." He said to her, grabbing her other arm. "Now can you say I won?" he grinned. Mae closed her eyes and nodded her head. "I can't believe I just let a boy beat me." She groaned. "Not that I'm overtly proud of it, but I'm sure that it told you something about my ego." He cheekily answered. "All it told me is that you're somebody who's violent and who'd gladly pick a fight with a boy or a girl. If you let me up, and I don't try to knock your eyeballs out, can't we just call a truce? Frankly, I'm getting sick of all this fighting. It's driving me nuts," she tiredly asked. Oliver could see that all the fighting spirit had gone out of her. He pulled on her arms and helped her to a sitting position. "You're quite a scrapper." He observed. "Well, it kind of follows after having three brothers and no mother. You learn to fight." She replied.

"It must be a riot, having to deal with all those boys." He said, shaking his head. "Well, it is. I just hate having to get into trouble for what a boy would do." She said, eyeing him carefully. "And for that I apologize. Really Mae, I didn't mean to insult you or anything. I just wanted to help." He explained. "I suppose I should forgive you. But I just want you to remember that I don't need defending. I had enough of that from you." She said, making move to stand up. "Thanks Mae. And I will remember that." He said, getting up as well. She didn't reply because she was looking around at the classroom. "You know, this will take all evening, and I know a convenient scrubbing charm that'll get all these telescopes polished and nobody will notice that we've used magic."

Oliver gave sigh of relief. "You have just saved my evening Mae. Go for it." He said, slumping into a chair. "OK, just stand next to me, and I'll have this place cleaned out in no time." She said, wiggling her wand and saying, "Freshio!"  Instantly, a cloud of purple began drifting over each telescope and when it moved onto the next one, it left the telescope it just cleaned spotless. Five minutes in, and the whole place was sparkling, and so were the models of the planets.

"Unbelievable Mae. Thanks a lot." He smiled at her. Mae gave a goofy sort of curtsy then looked at her watch. "And look at that, it's only nine thirty. We can definitely make it back to our common rooms and do homework." She said, turning to leave the room. Oliver followed her out the room and out into the corridor where she was whistling between her teeth. They walked together until the stairs where Mae had to take a left staircase and he had to take a right. "Right. Well, goodnight Mae. That was a lark." He devilishly grinned, winking. "Wasn't it?" she smiled back, before yawning widely. "I'll go sleep now. Goodnight Oliver, and I'll see you tomorrow night. Same time, same place." She sleepily grinned, waving goodbye to him before going up.

Oliver didn't recall exactly how he got to his common room, but his mind was in a fuzzy cloud. "Password?" the Fat Lady asked. "Candy corn." He mumbled, before climbing through the portrait wall and sinking into a chair. This had turned out to be a good evening. A very good evening indeed. And this was the way they would be for the rest of the week. Oh, life was great, even if it was detention.

A/N: School has started again for me, so it will be a while before you can get chapter six. I'm surprised actually that I've gone through five chapters and only one review, because I thought loads of people liked Oliver Wood. Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe they just don't want to review. Please review, I need some constructive help here. I'm not a very good writer, and I need to know how I'm doing so far. Thank you! Oh, and if you want to add me on your Friendster or Yahoo Messenger, my email address is : megbloom77yahoo.com


	6. A Deal

COMH 6

A/N: I haven't updated lately because I was having problems with my computer. The darned thing wouldn't connect, but now my computer's fine. So in the last chapter, Oliver and Mae had a bit of a fight, but in the end they called a truce. So far, I have no idea as to what is going to happen next, but I promise you this chapter is going to have a bit of a surprise in it. Now, if you recall, I said a little something about Harry and Cho in the first chapter. Now, I'm going to….hehe, why don't you just read it instead? Enjoy!

CHAPTER SIX 

When Oliver woke up the next morning, he opened his eyes and found that he couldn't open one. "Geez man, what kind of detention did they give you?" he heard a voice ask. Oliver touched a finger to his eye, and remembered that Mae had punched him. "Something happened last night." He groaned before heaving himself out of bed. "We can tell. It's kind of purple in the middle and slightly green around the edges." Lee Jordan smiled when he had opened his good eye. "That'll be there for at least two months. But then again, the story behind it IS rather interesting." Oliver grinned, remembering last night's fight with Mae. "You've cracked it…honestly. You're the only person I know who can smile after getting the sense knocked out of you." Lee said, as the bathroom door closed.

Oliver took a look at the mirror and saw that it WAS an appalling wound. People would be asking about that for sure. But at least it would serve to him as a reminder to keep his mouth shut. "Oi, hurry up in there! You're not the only one who needs to use the john!" a voice said, knocking on the door. Oliver quickly brushed his teeth and combed his hair, and after a quick go on the john, he opened the door and started walking out. He heard whispers going around him, and people pointing at his eye.

He went down to the common room and saw Fred and George sitting by the armchairs looking at something. "Good morning you two. What've you got there?" Oliver asked. "Nothing. We…whoa! Where did you get that beauty?" Fred incredulously asked. George stood up right away and gaped at him. "What HAVE you been doing last night?" he asked. "Aww mates, it was nothing much. But I can tell you that I'll be telling this story for a long time." He grinned. "You've got your head in the clouds. Spit it out, what happened?" Fred said, pushing him into a chair. "Well, do you promise not to tell? " he asked. "Of course mate. Now tell us." George said.

"Or we can add another purple spot to your face before you know it." Fred said. Oliver gave a dramatic sigh. "I got it in detention last night. Mae and I were having this sort of lairy argument and to make a long story short, she punched me and you're looking at the end product." He said. The twins studied him awhile. "And what happened after that?" Fred asked. "Well, we sort of made up and we cleaned up the Astronomy classroom. And we have to go back tonight." Oliver shrugged. The twins looked at him and said, "Mate, you've got it bad for her." Oliver immediately blushed red. "We did sort of notice. You can't deny it, since more or less the whole team has noticed." George winked. "Now, don't look so shocked. You actually think that your own team mates can't spot out that our team captain is in love?" Fred smiled.

"Out with it. You like her." George said. Oliver nodded, feeling foolish. "Well now, this calls for a celebration of sorts. What'll it be mate, butterbeer or the like? We can sneak in a bottle of Firewhisky…" Fred began. Oliver leapt out of his seat. "You can NOT do any of that. Once you start blabbing to everyone you see, I'll never hear the end of it and I'll never get to look at Mae without blushing again!" he said. The twins looked at each other, then at him. "And why not? She deserves to know. After all, she IS involved." George winked. "Because….I want to tell her myself. And to make sure no twisted version of it reaches her." Oliver said. "Well, what's there to twist? Go tell her, and make sure you tell us when you do." Fred said. Oliver began to feel the slightest bit better. These two might be the nosiest pair of twins in the world, but he knew that they meant well and they would stick by you given any circumstance. "Thanks you two. I'll make sure that she knows before the rest of the school does." He managed.

"Well you have to make it quick then. The Ravenclaws have started to pick up on the trend and they can pretty much guess what's up between you two." George said, grinning. Oliver's ears began to turn red. "Uh, great. I'll best be off now, make sure that I'll be telling her and all…" he said, racing out the portrait hole and down to the Great Hall. He raced past all the students who were going to their lessons and made for the Gryffindor table. There weren't a lot of students now, but he saw an empty spot near the Ravenclaw side of the table. He took a seat, and then noticed that he was seated right beside Harry. "Hey Harry, what's up?" he asked, pulling a platter of bacon strips towards him. "Nothing." He quietly said. "Oh come on, you're looking unusually sour today. And we have Quidditch practice today. What's there to be feeling low about?" he asked. Harry didn't answer, and that stumped Oliver. From the way Harry drooped over his plate, he seemed to be looking at something…or rather, at SOMEONE…

Oliver followed Harry's gaze and saw that he was looking at a girl seated at the Ravenclaw table. He recognized her immediately. She was one of the Quidditch players on the Ravenclaw team. "Girl problems mate?" Oliver asked. Harry gave a start. "H-how did you know?" he asked. "Well, I know a lovesick look when I see one. Come on, why don't you ask her out or something?" he suggested. "That's just it. She's a year older than me, and it would kill me to ask her out." Harry sighed. "What's her name?" Oliver asked. "Cho Chang. Just promise me you won't tell anybody." Harry said. "Scout's honor. You know, I have a thing for her teammate, Mae Hargrove." He said. "Really?" Harry asked. "Yeah, that's her alright. And not to mention that she and I have detention for the rest of the week, and I'm having difficulty saying two straight words around her." Oliver grinned. Harry looked at him fully, and nearly squeaked when he saw the bruise on Oliver's eye. "What happened? Were you dueling with a troll or something?" Harry asked, incredulous. "Well, Mae's quite a fighter. We got into a sort of tussle last night, and this is the result." Oliver shrugged. Harry gave a low whistle. "You know mate, since we're having trouble with girls from the same team, why don't we do something about it? You know, I could talk to Cho about you, and you could talk to Mae about me…sort of a trade thing, right?" Oliver said.

Harry seemed to like the idea, then stuck out his hand. "You've got a deal mate. Now, when do you want me to talk to her?" Harry asked. "Well, as soon you could. Because I'd really like to Hogsmeade this February." Oliver grinned. "D'you think you could get Cho around the same time? " Harry asked. "No problem. Look, it's almost the first bell, and we have to go. I'll see you around?" he said, munching down a bite of toast with a strip of bacon on it, and leaving the rest of the food on his plate for Harry's owl to eat.

Harry followed Mae out of the breakfast room and tried to catch up with her. "Hey!" he called. Mae turned around. "Can I help you?" she asked, looking a little puzzled. "Um, yeah. Hi, I'm Harry…you must be Mae." He brightly said, although slightly out of breath. "Nice to meet you Harry…yes, I'm Mae, and how did you know my name?" she asked, politely, although a tad confused. "Oh, one of my mates fancies you. Can't say who though; but anyway, I'd like to be friends, if that's Ok with you." He said. Mae shrugged, but didn't really seem to mind that a complete stranger was asking to be friends with her. "Sure Harry, that would be great. Um, I have to get to class now. I'll see you around, alright?" she said, smiling at him before walking away. Harry mentally wrote a note to himself: The _plan is going to work out just wonderfully._

A/N: Sorry for taking so long. School just started here, and I had my tests just a week ago. But I definitely will be able to post up my chapters more frequently, and I hope you're all having a wonderful time, wherever you are. Oh, and for those of you who are wondering where my LOTR fic went, they deleted it. Why? Well, I read that if I wasn't sure how to rate it, I would have to rate it NC-17. I did just that, and POOF! My fic gets deleted, and now I have a criminal record (so to speak) with But my fic wasn't exactly NC-17. It was more on R or PG-13…but I learned my lesson. Take care all!


	7. Results?

A/N: As we start a new chapter, I hope that the last few have been interesting for you…because it sure as heck was interesting to me! I liked the reviews that I got…so far, but I must encourage you…I need to know how to improve here!

Oliver raced out of the Great Hall and tried to tail Cho. "Hey! You!" he called over the crowd. Several girls looked over their shoulders, and giggled at the sight of Oliver and his swollen eye. Cho was one of those girls, and she was surprised to see that Oliver was looking for her. "Oi, the one with a red bag!" Oliver called, coming closer to her. "Can I help you?" Cho asked, confused. "Yeah. Hi, I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Oliver Wood…" he began, slightly out of breath. "Hang on, I know you. You're the team captain of the Gryffindor team." Cho said. "Well, yes I am. But it's not Quidditch I want to discuss with you today. I've got a mate…can't say who because he'll kill me. But anyway, my mate really rates you, and he wants me to talk to you for him." Oliver said. "Is he someone I know?" Cho asked. "Well, I don't know. But he's a nice guy and all, but a little shy. I'm sure that he would be of interest to you once you get to know him." Oliver replied. "Well, I'd love to meet your mate, but not now. I've got a class to get to. But before I go, whatever happened to your eye? You should see Madam Pomfrey about that." Cho hinted. "Oh, I got this somewhere. I'll take care of this. And I'll see you around okay? I've also got a class to get to." Oliver said. Cho waved, then walked away.

That morning, Oliver had a class in Herbology with the Ravenclaws. He did not expect to see Mae there, since she had a habit of skipping this particular class, saying that she had a bad case of 'monthlies'. But one could only use that excuse once a month though. Nevertheless, Oliver was still surprised to see Mae in the front row of the greenhouse. Professor Sprout, with her tousled hair and all was chattering merrily with the hydrangeas that seem to have sprouted mouths and teeth. "Move along chaps, we've got an interesting lesson this morning. We're tackling interspecies breeding today, and for an example we've got some Muggle hydrangeas interbred with some talking zinnias. You may notice that the body and petals of these flowers resemble those of hydrangeas, but the color is distinctly zinnia. Now, can anyone give me a quick history of interspecies breeding?" she asked.

Oliver saw a tall, lanky guy with brown hair raise his hand. "Mr. Smith?" Sprout called. "Uh, early Greek horticulturists accidentally allowed two kinds of flowers to interbreed, and as a result, got a very interesting combination of flowers. What we see now are evolved products of what other horticulturists have managed to produce." He said. The class murmured it's approval, and Sprout clapped her hands and said "Good boy Mr Smith. Five points to Ravenclaw. Mr. Smith is right, this branch of Herbology is absolutely mistaken…" she went on. Apparently, this wasn't exactly a favorite subject for these students, because he noticed everyone drifting off as Madam Sprout talked about the history of interbreeding species.

Towards the end of the lesson though, Oliver saw a flash of white sail through the air and land in front of him. He discreetly unfolded it and it read:

Wood- 

_Lesson's a bore…I'll see you later in detention. At least that will be more fun._

_Mae_

Oliver's eyes nearly bugged out. He snuck a glance up front and saw Mae grinning at him. Again, he felt his heart twang…Harry certainly had a way with the ladies.

A/N: Guys, I'm really sorry this chapter took such a long time to get posted. You see, schoolwork is starting to come in by the truckload, and that hardly leaves me any time to put in chapters like I used to. But don't worry, I will finish the fic, and I promise that the ensuing chapters will be really good. Thanks for putting up with me like this.ü


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